1 2
COMMUNICATIONS RESTRICTIONS FOR recipient group if the identity of the sender group exists in a
MOBILE GROUP COMMUNICATION communication permission parameter associated with the
DEVICES recipient group.
In another embodiment, the invention is a method for man
CLAIMOF PRIORITY 5 aging mobile group communication including sending a message from a member of a sender group, embedding in the
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Appli- message an identification of a recipient group and an identi
cation No. 60/494,091 entitled "Push-to-Talk Public Service fication of the sender group, and transmitting the message to
Restrictions" filed Aug. 12, 2003, which is hereby incorpo- a network. The invention can also include comparing the
rated by reference in its entirety. 10 identification of a sender group with a communication permission parameter associated with the recipient group and
FIELD OF INVENTION transmitting the message to the recipient group if the identity
of the sender group exists in the communication permission
This invention relates to managing communication groups parameter associated with the recipient group,
and their component mobile communication devices. More 15 In yet another embodiment, the invention is a system for
specifically, this invention relates to the establishment of transmitting a message to a group of communication device
communication groups and their hierarchical administration. users in an identified geographical area including a graphical
display for presenting a geographical representation of an
BACKGROUND area and a selection tool for identifying a location boundary
20 defining an area on the graphical display. The system can also
It is often very useful to communicate among various pub- include a system Pressor for comparing location data
lie safety organizations as groups. For example, it may be that received from a communication device with the defined area
a dispatcher wishes to communicate with all members of a and identifying a communication device user located within
specified police department in a certain metropolitan area. the defined area- In such 311 embodiment, a network can be
However, members of other police departments in the metro- 25 usedto transmlt a message from a sender to a user located
politan area might wish to ignore communications not within the defined area.
directed to them ^n a st'u further embodiment, the invention is a method for
. ^. , ^ , , transmitting a message to a group of communication device
When communicating a message between a sender and a . . , , , . , . , ,.
j-,^" ^ ■ ^ rr,, users in an identified geographical area including presenting
recipient, it is useful to set certain parameters, these param- i-i r i • i j
^ . , , , , , • • , , 30 a geographical representation oi an area on a graphical dis
eters can include send and receive and permissions and can be , P, v.„ . , ^. , , , ~ . ^
. . . ^ , „ ^ ,, ^. ....^ ^ ^ play, identifying a location boundary defining an area on the
administered from a central location. Without management or r , . , ,. ,D , ^. / , , . ,
, . . . .. j. . .. , . °, . graphical display with a selection tool, and comparing loca
admimstration oi communication between groups that per- f- , ^ • , ,- • ' • , • P, ^
^ a. • J- ^ • • ■ ^ + tion data received from a communication device with the
mits the faltering oi certain communications, important com- , , „ ^. ...... .
. ^. , ,, , ^ ^ . . ^ . defined area, ine invention can also include identifying at
mumcations could be lost among other communications tak- , . .. , . , . , ... . °.
. „. . . ^. . . , ^ • ^ ^ ^ j- , ,. 35 least one communication device user located within the
ing place. 1 his is particularly relevant in the context oi public . ^ . w „ . ^ ^
5 *[ -J , ^ ■ ^ , defined area and transmitting a message from a sender to the
saiety orgamzations where many participants may be ^. . ^ . .~. . ^ , „ .
„ .. . . . .., , • ,^ , at least one user located within the defined area over a netattempting to communicate with each other simultaneously. work
One object of the invention is to solve the above problem and to provide a method by which a user can communicate 4Q BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS with the intended groups of other users and avoid communication with those with whom communication is not intended. xhe mvention will be better understood by reference to the Whilethisinventioncouldbeusedbypublicserviceagencies, Detailed Description of the Invention when taken together it could also be used in any situation where an individual user with the attached drawings wherein'
or group of users wishes not to receive communications from 45 FIG x shows a table identifying exemplary groups and
certain other groups. associated communication parameters;
FIG. 2 shows a group management functional example;
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION FIG. 3 shows an exemplary network topology;
FIG. 4 shows an exemplary system for sending messages
Broadly described herein are systems and methods for 50 between a plurality of networks; and
managing communication groups. FIG. 5 shows an exemplary graphical display presenting a
In one embodiment, the invention is a system for managing geographical representation of an area and a selection tool.
a mobile communication device group. The system can FIG. 6 shows an exemplary method for sending messages
include a communication device for sending a message from using a geographical representation of an area and a selection
a member of a sender group, the message including an iden- 55 tool.
tification of a recipient group and an identification of the FIG. 7 shows an exemplary method for sending messages
sender group. The system can also include a network for based on permission parameters, receiving the message and a system data store in electronic
communication with the network for storing a communica- DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
tion permission parameter associated with the sender group 60
and a communication permission parameter associated with One feature of the system of the invention is to provide
the recipient group. The system can also include a system interoperability between various networked users and groups
processor in electronic communication with the system data of users using mobile communication devices while filtering
store to compare the identification of the sender group to a unwantedmessages.As will be further described below,com
communication permission parameter associated with the 65 munication permission parameters can be arranged by one or
recipient group. In such an embodiment, the system processor more administrators in communication with a network. While
can be further configured to transmit the message to the this description refers to messages, one skilled in the art will
